SOCIETAL SHARED ERRORS

"Religion is comparable to a childhood neurosis. The whole thing is so patently infantile, so foreign to reality, that to anyone with a friendly attitude to humanity it is painful to think that the great majority of mortals will never be able to rise above this view of life." – Sigmund Freud

Professing dogmatic faith in popular superstitions and ancient myths handed down by our primal ancestors are shared errors that have incredibly retarded most of the world, especially Africa, from keeping a steady pace with global scientific, social, economic, and technological progress at a time when a swift focus in these areas is exceedingly crucial for the survival of the human civilization.

Let me acknowledge the fact that publishing The Crisis of Religion has been the most fulfilling part of my life, as it has for several years been my foremost aim to echo my dissenting opinion concerning the ills and tribulations of religion in the society. My intention for doing this is to motivate the outbreak of secularism and common humanism throughout the length and breadth of Africa; a continent where the stronghold of organized religion has chronically bred very awkward delusions for the entire black race to be contented with not understanding the world they live in.

I wish to recognize it in good faith that a number of difficulties have attended my life from all prospects since the release of The Crisis of Religion into the book market. As numerous colleagues, associates, families, and friends could neither grasp nor welcome the purity of the motive that provoked me into writing against their religion. I, however, do not blame anyone of them for their alarming actions towards me, since I am very much aware of the naked truth that the entireties of Africans have strictly been tutored under extreme tyranny of faith never at all to question or reason with faith.

Imagine a country where a 33-year-old graduate of Mechanical Engineering, who calls himself a born-again Christian, does not have the least idea that Jerusalem and Damascus are cities of this world. Of course, this is not funny at all! Thus, on the whole, extensive population of my compatriots totally lack whatsoever exposure to any other line of critical thinking, except the dogmatic belief system they have routinely been programmed to accept hook, line, and sinker from childhood.

The faith mentality has turned the bulk of my people into gullible belief engines who have never at any point in their entire life had the discernment to scrutinize the grossest absurdities that impose the reign of stupidity upon their land in the name of God; let alone considering the possibility of the precepts of the phantom of God, they so fanatically embrace, as being incredible con job that originated out of utter fallacies. Hence, I hold no feeling of resentment against anyone.

Nonetheless, I certainly do not think that moral justice allows for any group of people to suffer unfair discriminations, because they have chosen to correct the errors and ills of religion through the astute path of telling the people the cutting truth they do not want to hear.

Amazingly, in the midst of all the odds, I have had the resolute individuality and tolerant optimism to stand by my convictions. Through thick and thin hath the power of rationality and reason ably shepherd me, and well preserve the blotting of my inner conscience from the drench of arrogant self-deceit, hypocrisy, and vicious missiles of repression petrifying from the den of the faith merchants.

There is no God higher than truth, says Mahatma Ghandi. Because, I truly know that my total disbelief in contradictory theologies of fictionalized gods does not in any way constitute a crime against humanity and the law of any land, I shall devotedly continue to echo my opinion against the despotism of faith to the entire world. So long as I still hold the liberty of speech as my bonafide civil right, I shall, with all sincerity of purpose, carry on stimulating humanity to the critical exigency of our modern civilization, which of course, is the crucial need to relegate religion to the back seat where it actually belongs. It is a fine choice in the right direction for humanity to allow for science and secularism to lead the way in our modern age.

The trouble with the world is the infamous tenacity of dogmatic believers to accept the bitter truth that their religion is an apparatus of mental slavery, which is suppressive of honest enquiries, and by all appearances hostile to human liberty. In short, humanity can no longer afford the dangling of its future hope perilously upon embarrassing belief systems that strictly abhor the application of critical thinking. It is, therefore, incumbent upon us all to repel this enemy of mental freedom in its entirety, to attain upright liberation from the shackles of dogmatic creeds that burden the reign of stupidity on all human minds in the name of God.

As the German Poet and Freethinker, Heinrich Heine, has aptly puts it, “In dark ages people are best guided by religion, as in a pitch-black night a blind man is the best guide... When daylight comes, however, it is foolish to use blind, old men as guides.”

Replies to This Discussion

Well, Adebowale Ojowuro, I think you are doing a very good thing. People deserve to be exposed to alternate points of view, and to choose to be different than what they have been in the past. In other words, let the religious people know about the alternative to faith and religion, and let them question it. But they should also question their beliefs. If they find that atheism is the truth, or at least more convincing than any religious beliefs, then those people may join you and I in our disbelief.

I truly know that my total disbelief in contradictory theologies of fictionalized gods does not in any way constitute a crime against humanity and the law of any land, I shall devotedly continue to echo my opinion against the despotism of faith to the entire world.

However, I understand that in some Muslim countries, talking out against their religion is a crime, and in a number of countries, including Christian Ireland, blasphemy is a crime; (see . . . http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blasphemy_law). So in those countries, if you echo your opinion against the despotism of faith, it may get you into trouble. I find those circumstances to be reprehensible - having alternative thoughts and expressing them, (so long as it is done in a peaceable, rational way), should not be a criminal offence.

Thanks for the Wikipedia link, Gila. I've gone through it, and found nothing that contravenes the law of any land in disbelief of contradictory theologies. I totally disagree with the notion that reasoning with faith is an act of blasphemy. Although, majority of dogmatic believers and apostles of faith have argue to the contrary, and would want to impress their misconception upon the society that reasoning with faith is a contemptuous act of blasphemy; of course, this false impression is one downright societal shared error.